Many businesses use automated attendants and/or automated voice response units (VRUs) that direct customers to a desired service and/or person. In a typical case, the customer is presented with a plurality of electronically generated prompts. The customer may be presented with a hierarchical menu structure that includes a plurality of verbal choices. The customer selects the desired choice by sending either a DTMF signal that results from pressing one of the touch tone pad buttons, or by verbal inputs. Through the interactive responses from the customer, the customer is eventually connected to the desired service or person.
Although such automatic systems can reduce costs, these conventional systems can be disadvantageous in that customers may not hear, remember and/or comprehend all the choices that are being verbally presented to them. In many cases, the customers may end up getting lost in the various menus and sub-menus presented by these automated systems. In other cases, the customer may need to “back up” but are unable to due to limitations of the system. Additionally, waiting for all the choices as they are being verbally presented can be time consuming and many cause many customers to seek a less burdensome alternative for the desired product or service. This can lead to “missed opportunities” for businesses that utilize conventional automated attendants and/or conventional VRUs.